David’s Pancit with Bacon, Salmon, Vegetables and more Seafood

Yesterday was my husband’s birthday so of course we had to have pancit! This post is dedicated to him and also to my mother-in-law (birthday the 17th), my grandparent’s-in-law (June 9th wedding anniversary, birthdays on the 10th and 11th), and uncle-in-law (birthday on the 1st). This weekend we are also celebrating my brother-in-law’s graduation from college. Lots of things to celebrate in June! (See the Remixed Chicken Tikka & Aloo Gobi post on June 1st for my sister’s birthday) I think this is a noodle recipe that’s perfect for all of these special occasions. It is hearty, meaty, yet light and fresh-tasting. It’s not as filling as pasta, but it’s satisfying. Plus, there’s bacon in it! In our families, you can’t go wrong with good bacon! We also love seafood and one of my husband’s favorite fish is salmon. In fact, at our wedding, he chose to have salmon over filet mignon. I think I’m becoming a salmon-cooking master. I cook it often as we are able to get good wild-caught salmon at the market. Also, a noodle dish isn’t a pancit unless there are some sort of veggies mixed in (and calamansi or lemon!). If my husband David were to make a pancit recipe,  I think he would make something similar to this, a noodle dish centered on fun ingredients that he enjoys with pasta (like bacon and shiitake mushrooms!) with rich flavors.

The dogs were playing nice and waiting to greet him with their birthday card and  smooches. Nutter the Pekingese is on the left and Pipi the Papillon-mix is on the right. They want you to come over and pet them.

I also made buttermilk tea cakes flavored with maple and bourbon. These were topped with either the chocolate sauce or a white glaze similar to this recipe.  For the latter, instead of 3 tablespoons of hot water, I subbed in one tablespoon of bourbon and used 2 tablespoons hot water.

Here’s the bacon! Cutting them in strips and crisping them up is the first step. Once cooked to desired crispness, set them aside and save the bacon fat for cooking the rest of the dish (or use oil if you like). By the way, there’s the San Diego county fair going on now in Del Mar, and we’ll have to check it out because the food theme is bacon. Did I mention that we love bacon?

In the same pan, cook some seafood in a bit of the bacon fat. I used a seafood mix from Trader Joe’s. Set aside for later. The bacon fat fits well with the dish and adds a nice smokey background note.

Like maybe 97% of pancit dishes, you sauté garlic and onion as a flavor base.

Here are some of the veggies:  shiitake mushrooms (a David favorite), carrots, and celery.

More veggies:  baby broccoli (another David favorite) florets and stems + snap peas. Not pictured:  shredded cabbage.

While chopping the veggies, make sure to soak the mung bean threads in hot water to soften.

After you saute the onion and garlic, season with salt & pepper, add some bouillon, and pour in some water. Mix in some soy sauce, fish sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Let it come to a boil.

Then you add the canton noodles to hydrate and absorb the liquid.

While the noodles are cooking, add the mushrooms, carrots and broccoli stems. Adding the veggies is about timing and how crisp you want them to be. So you have to be the judge on when you want to add certain veggies. I like adding them a little later, once the canton noodles have hydrated so that they stay crisp.

After the canton noodles are softened, add the mung bean threads and broccoli florets. Then mix it up!

Mix in the remaining veggies and cooked seafood. Mix it up some more!

Don’t forget the bacon!

When you are ready to serve, pan-sear the salmon. Let it rest, slice, then serve atop the noodles. Or eat it without the salmon! If you don’t like fish, or any of the other main ingredients, it’s no problem, just leave it out. That’s what’s fun about pancit–make it your own!

David’s Pancit with Bacon, Salmon and Shellfish

Serves ~6

Ingredients

• 5-6 ounces of dried mung bean threads
• Dash of oil
• 12 oz. bacon, cut into strips
• 1-2 cups seafood mix (comes with shrimp, calamari, and mini scallops; frozen is fine)
• 5-7 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped or sliced
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon or so bouillon– vegetable, chicken, or beef is fine, though I prefer chicken (optional)
• 3/4 cup water or broth (vegetable, chicken, beef, or your favorite type is fine)
• 1-2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 1-2 tablespoons fish sauce aka patis (optional)
• 1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 8 ounces dried canton noodles (Chuka soba is canton-like and I use it often)
• 1/2-1 cup shiitake mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup of celery, chopped
• 1/2-1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 cup baby broccoli, chopped — stems and florets separated
• 1/2-1 cup snow peas or snap peas, left whole or cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups cabbage, shredded
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced + more for garnish
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped (optional)
• 2 (4-6 oz each) salmon fillets, skin on — pan-sear when ready to eat (I use a technique similar to this one, though I don’t always score the skin)

1. Soak mung bean threads in hot water for about 30 minutes. While soaking the bean threads, you can cook the other components. After the 30 minutes or until softened, drain and set aside.
2. Cook the bacon in a bit of oil until crispy. Set aside and save the bacon fat.
3. Using a dash of bacon fat, cook the seafood mix in the same pan as you cooked the bacon. Be careful not to over cook. When done, set aside on a plate.
4. In the same pan, sauté the onion and garlic, adding a tablespoon more bacon fat or oil if needed. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Mix in bouillon and continue to sauté for about 5 minutes or until onions have softened.
5. On medium heat, add the water or broth, soy sauce, fish sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Let it come to a boil. Put the dried canton noodles on top and let it absorb the liquid. Keep tilting the pan and gently pressing on the noodles so that they soften. This will take 3 minutes or so.
6. After the canton noodles have softened, add the mushrooms, celery, carrots, and broccoli stems. Mix and let cook for a couple of minutes. Add more broth or water if needed.
7. Add the softened mung bean threads in addition to the snap peas. Mix and cook for a couple more minutes. Turn the heat off and add the cooked bacon (save a handful for garnish), cooked seafood, cabbage, scallions and parsley. Mix well. Adjust seasoning, adding more salt & pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce, or Worcestershire sauce if needed.
8. When ready to eat, make the pan-seared salmon. Let rest 5-10 minutes. Slice and add to the dish. Alternatively you can slice the raw salmon into bite sized pieces and stir-fry until brown on both sides and fully cooked. Garnish the dish with a little bacon, parsley, and scallions. Serve with calamansi, lemon, or lime.

Don’t forget to eat the pancit with calamansi or lemon! Lime or Meyer lemons are fine too!

This was a fun dish to create and to make for the occasions. I think it’s a keeper. I hope you can enjoy it too!

To my family,

Happy June Celebrations!

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